Assessing passenger road transport policies for PM2.5-related health impact and cost reduction

Abstract

Health impacts of fine particulate matter or PM<inf>2.5</inf> in the transport sector are a major concern worldwide. To address this issue, it is essential to develop effective transport policies that reduce these health impacts while delivering economic benefits. Existing studies have typically focused on reducing tailpipe emissions, which may inadvertently lead to increased upstream emissions and overall impacts. This study quantified the health and economic benefits arising from various passenger road transport policies. Carpooling emerged as the most effective policy from a well-to-wheel perspective, reducing health impacts by 16,216 Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) (53 %) and generating economic benefits of 12,101 million THB. Under a Tank-to-Wheel perspective (excluding upstream emissions), electric vehicle conversion reduced PM<inf>2.5</inf> emissions by 72 %, resulting in annual economic benefits of 3,643 million THB. The combined implementation of these policies offers a pathway towards sustainability and reduced health impacts in Thailand's passenger transport sector.